Could monitoring pet abuse reveal domestic violence?

Pets that are admitted to vets with broken bones caused by abuse could be a warning that family members are also in danger. One vet is trying to create a system to identify those at risk.

Pet abuse and domestic violence are closely linked.

And while animals can't talk, they can still offer a warning that people living in the same household could also be suffering abuse.

Lydia Tong of the University of Sydney has identified the difference between bone fractures caused by accidents and those that are more likely to have been caused by abuse. 

She says her methods could be used to give vets the added confidence to identify – and then report to relevant authorities – cases of violence against pets and, possibly, owners.

BBC Future spoke to Tong in Sydney. In the video above, she demonstrates how to spot an abuse fracture using X-rays.

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